Starting Jan. 22, the Lost and Lord of the Rings stars can be found on BBC America in Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan. The eight-episode series follows Monaghan as he travels to some of the world's most remote places searching for some of the world's most bizarre and (sometimes) dangerous animals, from flesh-eating ants to cave-dwelling cockroaches to the world's largest centipedes.

Wow. And, umm, why? "I just really enjoy animals."

The purpose of the series, he says, "was to show that you can have these experiences and it doesn't have to be something that is impossible to achieve or is overwhelming." Nor, he says, is it something to be afraid of. "As long as you're respectful and have a smile on your face, fingers crossed that you'll survive."

Don't panic: He's kidding. At any rate, his goal isn't really to get you to grab a scorpion. It's to get you to react more calmly when you see a spider in your bathroom, if only by comparison.

While he's in favor of curiosity, and of befriending the natural world, he does advise people to use common sense around dangerous animals. For instance, he always keeps a strike-and-a-half distance away from venomous snakes. "Up until now, that's worked."

"We're all very, very conscious of the way to behave when you encounter venomous snakes … We take every precaution safety wise to not get bit."